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The differences between residential assistants and field assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a residential assistant and a field assistant. Additionally, a field assistant has an average salary of $33,354, which is higher than the $30,918 average annual salary of a residential assistant.
The top three skills for a residential assistant include direct care, developmental disabilities and mental health. The most important skills for a field assistant are customer service, payroll, and newspapers.
| Residential Assistant | Field Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,918 | $33,354 |
| Hourly rate | $14.86 | $16.04 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 91,326 | 59,751 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A residential assistant is in charge of overseeing the living conditions of students in a university or similar establishment. They are primarily responsible for assisting students and making them feel at ease within the dormitory or campus community. Moreover, a residential assistant must respond to inquiries and concerns, handle and settle any issues or problems, take part in organizing activities that are beneficial to the students, and keep them informed on all community-related updates. Furthermore, it is crucial to adhere to and implement the campus rules and regulations at all times, maintaining a safe environment for everyone.
The duties of a field assistant depend on one's line of work or place of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing support tasks such as preparing documentation and presentations, recording data and updating information systems, managing schedules, attending meetings, and performing research and analysis. There are also instances where a field assistant must visit job sites to conduct observation or to gather samples, coordinate with other staff, handle calls and correspondence, and run errands as needed.
Residential assistants and field assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Assistant | Field Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,918 | $33,354 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Illinois |
| Best paying company | University of California | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a residential assistant and a field assistant in terms of educational background:
| Residential Assistant | Field Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Biology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between residential assistants' and field assistants' demographics:
| Residential Assistant | Field Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |